


Forepoint

by Celandine



Category: Sime~Gen - Jacqueline Lichtenberg & Jean Lorrah
Genre: Drama, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-21
Updated: 2009-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-04 21:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celandine/pseuds/Celandine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Sosectu, Hugh Valleroy has to decide whether or not to permit Rior's members to act in ways that his friend Klyd Farris - and the other leaders of the Tecton - may not consider permissible. Matters come to a head with the arrival of several new young Simes and Gens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forepoint

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elfwreck](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elfwreck/gifts).



> Elfwreck, I tried to show some of Hugh and Klyd's friendship here; this story doesn't quite get at the origins of the Distect, but there are perhaps some hints in that direction. Thank you to F., A., and others for cheerleading!

"He's still a child," Sala, head of the infirmary, told Hugh Valleroy. Her tentacles moved fluidly as she gestured toward the bed. "Not established as a Gen yet, although with that husky build, he probably will before the year is out. He'd been sitting just outside our front gates for two days before Auster convinced him to come in. I don't think he would have succeeded if the boy hadn't already been feverish."

Valleroy didn't have to ask how Sala had known the boy was there. She would have zlinned even the weak emotional nager of a child, using the sense that all Simes developed at changeover along with their tentacles, a means to locate and strip the biologic life energy of selyn from a Gen. Moreover, Sala was a channel, more sensitive than an ordinary Sime, and able both to take selyn without killing the Gen, and pass it to other Simes to keep them from killing as well.

Studying the boy, Valleroy said, "Has he said anything coherent yet?"

"Not yet, Sosectu. Do you want me to send for you when he wakes, if he's lucid?"

"Yes, please. I'd like to know why he decided to come here. Not that many people in Gen Territory are even aware of Rior's existence."

Valleroy gave one last look at the boy, noting the yellow bruises on his face and arms, before he left to return to his duties as Sosectu, head of the Householding. He was an artist by first inclination, and running the business that was Rior did not come naturally to him, although he could and did consult with his counterpart Klyd Farris of Householding Zeor, of which Rior was a daughter House.

_Klyd._ Sectuib in Zeor, perhaps the finest and most sensitive channel in the world, he was also a stubborn idealist. Valleroy was his usual transfer partner, serving Klyd's personal monthly need for selyn. That was a most unusual state of affairs; virtually all channels' transfer partners came from within their own Householdings, and Valleroy had never really been a member of Zeor. He had grown up in Gen Territory and worked for its government before a vital mission had caused him to work undercover with Klyd, an episode that had changed both their lives. Valleroy had overcome his initial terror of the Sime to be willing to offer up his selyn, even his life, when Klyd was in desperate need, verging on attrition. The aftermath of that event had led Hugh to found Rior on the border of Gen territory, relinquishing his former career in pursuit of the dream that he and Klyd shared: a world in which no Sime would kill again.

Even as he bent over his desk, pulling a pile of papers in front of him, Valleroy held tight to the thought that although he and Klyd might disagree as to the best means to that end, the goal was still shared. Surely over time they would be able to resolve their differences when it came to method?

By late afternoon, he had dealt with the most urgent business and organized his schedule for the rest of the week. As a new and still relatively small Householding, Rior had not yet specialized, the way Zeor had done in cloth production or Imil in fashion design, but relied primarily on farming and some trade to support the few hundred members and their children. Soon Valleroy would meet with the handful of Gen merchants willing to deal with Rior to arrange the sale of that year's harvest. Valleroy hoped the profits would be enough to purchase additional acreage; Rior owned enough property at the moment to support her membership, but it was always good to look to the future.

A knock sounded on his door, and before he could respond, it opened and a head poked in. "Sosectu?"

"Yes, Orain?" said Valleroy, recognizing the pre-adolescent boy as the son of two members who had joined Rior just the previous year. They had formerly lived in a nearby town in Gen Territory, but as Orain came closer and closer to the time when he would either establish selyn production as an adult Gen, or go through changeover to become a Sime, his parents had decided to join Rior, where they would all be safe either way. Any child who went through changeover in Gen territory was liable to be beaten to death out of fear, lest in his First Need he kill one of his own. Orain's family was exceptional in making that decision. Both his parents had lost siblings to changeover, Valleroy knew, but so had most other adult Gens, for there was a one in three chance that any child of Gens would become Sime at adolescence. The reverse was true as well: a third of Simes' children became Gen.

"Yes?" Valleroy repeated as Orain hovered in the doorway.

"I was passing by the infirmary, and Sala asked me to come tell you that the new boy is awake," Orain said.

"Ah, good. Thank you," said Valleroy, rising. He had time to go speak with the boy before dinner.

When he arrived, Sala was repeating patiently, "You're safe. You're in Householding Rior, and no one here will hurt you."

The boy was sitting up, huddled against his pillows with his arms wrapped around his knees.

"Sala is telling you the truth," Valleroy said reassuringly. He held out his arms. "See? I'm a Gen, but Simes here don't kill." He reached for Sala's hand, and she took it, her four handling tentacles wrapping around his arm in a gesture designed to make tangible that statement of safety.

The boy relaxed minutely, his eyes shifting between the two of them.

"Would you mind telling me your name and where you're from?" asked Valleroy. "We like to know who we're able to help."

"Javon." The boy bit his lip, tears threatening to spill over. "Just Javon. My family, they threw me out."

"Why did they do that, Javon?" Valleroy asked gently. He could see the way Javon tensed at the question, and heard Sala's intake of breath; the boy's emotional nager was doubtless shrieking at her, but she made no other sign of distress. "You don't look like you'd have been a disobedient son. Were there just too many mouths to feed? What made you decide to come to Rior?"

Javon chewed his lip. "Too many kids, yeah."

Valleroy glanced at Sala, catching her discreet signal. Javon was lying, at least in part, as Valleroy had thought. "Is that the only reason?" he probed. "Most Gens would never come here; they call us Sime-lovers and worse. So what made you decide to trust us?"

"They – they said I was a pervert and I should go live with the other perverts," blurted Javon, then closed his lips tightly as if horrified that he'd spoken.

"I see. What made them call you a pervert?" Valleroy kept his voice soft, persuasive. "You haven't established selyn production yet, and obviously you haven't changed over; you're still a child. What kind of perversion were they accusing you of?"

"I, uh. I don't like girls, all right? I like boys. Nobody thinks I'm old enough to know that, but I do. Are you gonna throw me out too?" Defiance and apprehension were written in every line of his body.

Valleroy shook his head. "We don't throw anyone out unless they pose a danger to the other members of Rior. Rest now. Sala and her helpers will take care of you, and we'll talk again later."

He stepped outside the room, beckoning the channel to follow him, and closed the door.

"Poor kid." Sala made a face. "You saw the bruises, right? I did a full lateral contact while he was still unconscious, so that I wouldn't frighten him, and he's been beaten pretty regularly. Judging from his physical condition as well as the wear on his shoes, I'd say he walked a long distance to get here, even if he was too nervous to approach right away once he'd arrived."

Sighing, Valleroy said, "Rejection isn't easy to cope with. It's not surprising that he doesn't trust us either. We'll see how he does with a couple of days in bed to get him over that fever. No life should be wasted or deemed worthless, after all." He paused to think for a moment. "If you don't believe he's contagious, maybe I'll send Orain in tomorrow to talk to him. Another boy about his own age might be able to learn more, and can at least tell him what life at Rior is like."

Sala squinted at him, saying, "Are you sure you want Orain to do that, given the other aspect? The same-sex attraction?"

"Which may or may not be true, whatever Javon thinks now."

"But if it is?" Sala persisted.

"It doesn't have to affect his ability to become a member of Rior, once he establishes or changes over."

Valleroy wasn't totally comfortable with those who felt such desires, he admitted privately to himself, but as Sosectu he couldn't let such personal feelings affect his judgment. He knew that many of the Gens in Rior, who had grown up in the Gen Church of the Purity, held stronger views than he did. Valleroy's own mother had been a refugee from Sime territory, and his father had died when he was young, so Hugh had never imbibed all the values of a typical Gen. Well, what was Rior _for_ but to point the way to a new and better society? In the Householding it didn't matter whether a person was Gen or Sime, male or female; it shouldn't matter what their sexual orientation preference was either. Sexual preference couldn't harm another person.

He realized that Sala was waiting. "_Is_ Javon likely to be contagious?"

"I don't believe so. It should be safe for him to have visitors oh, tomorrow afternoon if he's awake," she said. "Orain could come visit after classes are out for the day."

"Good. I'll suggest it to him."

Several days later, Sala pronounced Javon well enough to move out of the infirmary into one of the small guest rooms on the north wing of the main building.

"You can stay here, or if you'd rather we can find you one of Rior's families to foster with, for the time being. Once you establish or change over, you'll be considered an adult – Rior follows Sime territory tradition in that, rather than using natal age the way Gens do," Valleroy explained. "You'll be expected to go to school and do chores just like all of the children at Rior, and once you're an adult, you can pledge to the house; or, if you prefer, you can leave. You won't have to make the decision immediately, however, as long as you're willing to work for your keep in the meantime."

Javon nodded. "I understand. Orain was telling me what it's like for him."

"Good. You can start attending classes tomorrow. I understand that you can read and write?"

"Some. I learned to figure a little, too."

"Very good. One of our teachers will determine which classes to put you in, then. You'll also be expected to study the history of the Householdings, and to attend changeover classes. I think you'll probably establish, and Sala thinks so too, but we've both been wrong before. In any case all of our children are required to be fully trained for changeover, since no one knows for certain what they'll be. Well, channels are an exception to that; children who are going to change over into channels sometimes _know_ that they'll be Sime with an absolute conviction. On the other hand, that's not something that anyone else can really judge."

"So becoming a channel isn't just a matter of training?" Javon asked.

"Not at all. A Sime either is a channel, or he's not. They're relatively rare. But you'll learn about that in your biology class."

* * *

  
Javon made a reasonably smooth transition into Rior, with Orain's help. The two boys had become almost inseparable by the time Javon established as expected, some five months after his arrival. Valleroy kept an eye on him as he began to make the transition to adult life, and was still thinking about the possible problems Javon posed when he next went to Zeor for his monthly transfer with Klyd.

"Is something wrong?" Klyd asked afterward. "You seemed... distracted."

Valleroy shrugged. He watched Klyd retract his tentacles, touched his own arms where they were still moist with the selyn-conducting ronaplin smeared there by Klyd's laterals. "The usual sort of headaches over bureaucracy. Rior's been attracting some new members and you know what that does to the tax forms."

"_Good_ new members, I hope." Klyd stood and began making trin tea, the Sime favorite that Valleroy had learned to appreciate too.

"It's hard to say yet. One came as a child, and has only recently established." Valleroy found himself telling Javon's story to Klyd, who listened with interest, but frowned as Valleroy concluded.

"I suppose it's a positive sign that knowledge of the existence of Rior and other Householdings is spreading into Gen Territory, but not so positive that we're regarded as perverts of whatever type."

"Is it considered as bad in Sime Territory as among Gens, to prefer one's own sex?" Valleroy asked. "I remember something you said at the Iburan Choice Auction, years back – that what's-his-name, Tyte Narvoon, was a 'pervert' but that no one would mind much about that if he didn't force himself on the Gens he killed. It strikes me as odd that junct Simes would care what happened to _any_ Gen, since to them Gens are basically cattle, subhuman, only there to satisfy need."

Klyd winced, handing Valleroy a glass of tea in a delicate silver holder. "It depends. Same-sex attraction just isn't that common among Simes. I think the – disgust – over Narvoon was only a little more extreme than would have been the case for someone who had sex with a Gen of the opposite sex. If you really believe Gens aren't human, that has to be seen as a kind of bestiality. But sex for Simes just isn't that important at least half the time."

"I know." Valleroy had seen that disinterest in sex after turnover in every Sime he'd interacted with, although Klyd controlled his reactions better than most. For the first two weeks after transfer, the Sime could spare attention for other bodily functions, like eating and sex; but after half his month's supply of selyn was used up, the specter of need loomed larger and larger, gradually excluding all other interests. "In Gen Territory, though, same-sex relationships _aren't_ readily accepted, although I guess they're more common than among Simes." It was Valleroy's turn to frown. "Like you, I'm concerned also that apparently Rior is seen as a hotbed of perversion of all kinds."

"It probably can't be helped," said Klyd, finishing his tea. "People fear what they don't understand and can't control, and they nearly always fear change."

"Yes." Valleroy eyed Klyd narrowly, wondering if the channel was honest enough to apply that statement to himself. He decided he didn't want to provoke an argument just now, so instead of bringing up their perennial bone of contention, direct Gen transfer for RenSimes, he asked, "How is Muryin doing?"

"She's fine." Klyd's angular face softened. "You should come and visit for more than just a transfer day; she ought to get to know you."

"I know," said Valleroy with a sigh. "It's just... she reminds me too much of Aisha. The resemblance is so strong." Valleroy's wife Aisha had died giving birth to Klyd's daughter almost four years earlier. He had agreed to the arrangement but hadn't anticipated the chance of Aisha's death, though perhaps he should have since Klyd's Gen wife Yenava had died similarly. The loss of Aisha might have destroyed their friendship, but unexpectedly instead had brought them closer. Nonetheless Valleroy was still uncomfortable around the little girl.

"I understand, but soon, Hugh, please. Muryin deserves to know you from childhood... and you deserve to know _her_, for that matter." Klyd gazed at Valleroy until, reluctantly, he nodded.

"In early summer, perhaps, I can get away for more than the day of transfer. It's not as if Rior and Zeor are _that_ far distant. Someone can travel the eighteen miles to fetch me if there's some crisis, and Auster ought to have a chance to be in charge."

The young Gen was Valleroy's second-in-command; he had grown up in a junct family in Sime territory, and first joined Householding Imil, then later come to Rior. Valleroy found it hard to relinquish control over the Householding he had founded although he acknowledged it was necessary.

"Yes. It's risky to have a Householding dependent on a single person to lead."

Klyd knew _that_ all too well from experience. Zeor had always been led by a Farris channel, all the way back to the semi-legendary Rimon Farris, the first known channel, although it wasn't clear from Zeor's records whether he'd actually founded the Householding himself. Some of the documents suggested it had been his son or perhaps a grandson with the same name. Klyd was the only living member of the family in Zeor, except for his daughter and presumed heir Muryin – _if_ she changed over.

"I agree, no one should be irreplaceable." Valleroy stood and stretched. "Too late for me to ride back to Rior tonight, but I am one Gen who requires food and sleep."

"Zeor will, as ever, supply your requirements, Sosectu Rior," said Klyd, also rising.

"And _you_ have to have dinner with me, now that you're no longer in need," Valleroy said with a challenging glance. "You're far too thin, even for a Sime. When did you eat last?"

"Yesterday," Klyd admitted. "We had a changeover early this morning that I was required to attend, and then I worked dispensary all day."

"Humph. You wouldn't permit any other Sime – especially not another channel – to get away with that, so I won't let you either. Your cafeteria should be open now, right?"

Klyd chuckled and said that it would, and the two men made their way there together.

* * *

  
Now legally an adult, Javon moved readily into taking an adult's share of the labor at Rior, although he had not yet decided whether to pledge to the Householding. Valleroy suspected that he was waiting for Orain. That could take a while; Orain was a year younger than Javon, and not many Simes changed over before thirteen. In the meantime, though, he knew that the two boys spent most of their free time together.

_Puppy love_, he tried to tell himself, but deep down he suspected it was more than that, at least on Javon's part.

* * *

  
Valleroy managed to arrange matters at Rior so that he could spend two weeks in early June visiting Klyd and Muryin at Zeor. Klyd, of course, worked through most of Valleroy's visit, since nothing Hugh could do to persuade him to adopt the Gen custom of a vacation. True, Klyd was the most talented channel in Zeor, as his position of Sectuib indicated; but as one of Zeor's members had once told Valleroy, it was Klyd's touch in dispensing selyn that made Zeor what it was. Klyd felt an obligation to his members to work up to and beyond his own capacity. Valleroy respected that but nevertheless still believed that no human being should work day in and day out year around without a break.

It was nothing he could change, however, so he determined to enjoy what time he could spend with Klyd, and meanwhile forced himself to get to know Klyd and Aisha's daughter.

As he spent hours with young Muryin, it became easier to see and love her for herself, rather than as a reflection of her late mother. She had the typical Farris dark hair – although Aisha too had been dark – and Valleroy rather suspected she would have Klyd's slightly beaked nose, but otherwise she physically resembled Aisha, and even at the age of four, showed precocious signs of her mother's artistic talent. More than once Valleroy found himself wishing that he and Aisha had had a child together, but he had never managed to make her pregnant. That had been part of the reason why he had been willing to accept her bearing a child to Klyd, knowing how much Aisha wanted a son or daughter and having failed to give her a child himself.

"I require your advice," he said to Klyd one evening, while the channel was snatching a rare few minutes to relax. "I have a young Gen whom my best channel, Sala, says has a lot of potential."

"So, train him," said Klyd, watching the leaves on an apple tree quiver in the light breeze. "What's the problem? Even if you don't really require another Companion now, Rior is growing, and eventually you'll have more channels and require more Companions for them."

"Sure," Valleroy acknowledged, "but it's hard on any Gen who can serve a channel's need not to be able to do so regularly. You know how I'm affected. It's not as horrible as need is, from what I can tell, and I'm certainly in no danger of dying, but it's still not an enjoyable experience. If I train this boy, and can't set him up with a regular transfer partner, I'm not sure what he'll do; he might just start looking for someone for himself."

"Trade him into another Householding?" Klyd suggested. "Zeor doesn't require another trained Companion now either, but I could ask around. Perhaps Dar could use someone, or Imil."

"I doubt he'd he willing to leave Rior, although he isn't yet officially a member," said Valleroy slowly. "He's not only from Gen Territory, he has an emotional attachment to one of the other boys."

"Oh, this is the boy you mentioned a few months back. Javon, wasn't it? Is his friend pre-changeover?"

"Hard to say whether he'll change over or establish at this point."

"But you're worried that if the friend turns out to be a RenSime, young Javon will try to give him direct transfer," Klyd guessed.

"Not _worried_, exactly. You know I think that all Simes, and all Gens, have the right to find an arrangement to satisfying their need that suits them," said Valleroy. "As long as that arrangement doesn't involve killing a Gen every four weeks, I don't think it is my business to tell anyone what he must do. If Orain changes over, and wants transfer from Javon, and if Javon is willing – how can I deny them?"

"Hugh, you have to face the facts. RenSimes simply don't have the control to keep from killing. Channels, now, we can actually be _conditioned_ against killing, but that involves the secondary system so it can't be done for a RenSime. Even a non-junct who's never killed can be tempted into it if the circumstances are right, and the death of one Gen will make others fear it will happen to them. You know that it's fear that draws a junct Sime to kill, so one death is liable to cause a whole cascade of them. Would you want that on your conscience?"

"I also don't want it on my conscience that I deliberately kept people from achieving their full potential for living," said Valleroy, struggling to master his anger. "Can't you see that requiring all RenSimes to accept only channel's transfer denies them the human dignity that you claim for yourself?"

"Can't _you_ see that life for Gens, and no kill-guilt for RenSimes, is worth that small sacrifice?" Klyd shot back. "Moreover, in practical terms, if we're ever going to convince the Gen government to see Householdings as different from the Sime Territory government, with its system of pens and Gen farms to provide kills for all its citizens, we have to be able to assure them that _we do not kill_, not ever, except by the worst kind of accident."

Valleroy stood and walked a little away, gripping his hands into fists. He couldn't quite dispute Klyd's words – he knew that Zeor's Sectuib had far more political acumen than he – but neither could he shake the feeling that Klyd was simply _wrong_. If Valleroy himself were not a Sime's Companion, he wouldn't have the same commitment to the concept of the Householding, he knew. The human connection was vital.

And yet – if he and Klyd had never had transfer, if all he had ever done was donate selyn to the channel, would he _know_ what he was missing? Would he _care_? Some Gens did, and worked to become Companions to channels... but not all, by any means.

"I don't know," he said at last, turning back to face Klyd squarely. "I can see your reasoning, but I'm not sure I can accept your position, not for Rior. Isn't that why the different Householdings exist – so that their members can pursue the goals most congenial to them? Zeor strives for excellence, and no one would deny that its members generally achieve that, but not everyone is prepared to dedicate their lives to that particular vision. _I_ wasn't. I wanted to create a community where trying new ways of living would be valued as the highest purpose."

"New ideas can be dangerous both for the individual and the community." Klyd's voice was reflective.

"They can be, yes," Valleroy agreed, "but think about it. Once upon a time, the entire concept of Simes being able to live without killing, was a new and untried idea. Householding history talks at length about those early days, the first channels and Companions, and the problems you – _we_ – had. But despite those difficulties and even tragedies, it was an idea worth pursuing."

"You honestly think that direct Gen transfer can work for RenSimes?" Klyd shivered, even in the warmth of the evening sun. "Those same histories suggest not. There were a few successes, but many, many more tragedies, Gens dying under the tentacles of Simes they had trusted. Why repeat such failures?"

"Because maybe something's been missed. Today we know a lot more about both Sime and Gen physiology and psychology than they did five hundred years ago. It's worth trying again, even if it failed in the past."

"I hope you're proved right, Hugh. I'd hate to see the whole force of a Gen army turned against Rior because the Territory government found out that you allowed practices that resulted in Simes killing Gens. But I'm not prepared to permit Zeor's Simes to try what you suggest."

Valleroy hadn't expected any other response from Klyd, but he found himself disappointed nonetheless. "Zeor won't disavow its connection to Rior over the matter, I hope," he said, trying to make a joke out of it.

"Not at present," Klyd answered gravely.

"Well, that's something."

If Klyd could countenance the fact that Rior would permit direct RenSime-Gen transfer, even though he didn't approve of it, Valleroy would live with that very partial success. Compared with the significance of that issue, the question of tolerating same-sex preferences among Rior's members ought to be no problem for the other Householdings in the Tecton. Valleroy knew vaguely that Sime Territory didn't have any formal requirements for marriage, that simply commitment and living together constituted a marriage in the eyes of Sime law. And if same-sex relationships were as uncommon among Simes as Klyd intimated, hopefully none of the other Householdings – almost all of them led by channels, not Gens – would care if Rior were tolerant of them. As long as any transfer experiments didn't lead to trouble!

The last few days of Valleroy's visit to Zeor passed quickly, unmarred by any further unpleasant discussions, and he was genuinely sorry to leave. He would miss Muryin's small intent face as she tried to capture her world with pencil and paper, and Klyd's wide-ranging intellect. _But no vacation could last forever, or it would hardly be a vacation_, Valleroy thought.

* * *

  
Auster's greeting upon Valleroy's return was, "Three new Simes and two new Gens in Rior since you left, Sosectu."

"Really? New arrivals, or did we just have a whole group of adolescents grow up at once?" Valleroy asked, giving him a saddlebag to carry.

"One changeover of one of our own, Orain. Sala handled his First Transfer, said he's not a channel." Auster looked at Valleroy questioningly. "Did you expect him to be?"

"No, there was no reason to think he'd be a channel; I just hoped. It never hurts to have an extra channel or so around, to ease the burden on the others. How about the rest?"

"Two young Simes brought in a relative who'd just established, and then we got another Gen from Gen Territory, a woman in her thirties or so. One of _those_ Simes is a channel; but he's a junct, of course." Auster added the last with a shudder. No Companion could feel anything but sympathy for a junct channel, who faced a far more difficult disjunction process than a RenSime did.

"Do you think you'll be ready to handle him, when he reaches the crisis?" Valleroy would let Klyd know the situation, that Zeor's Sectuib would need to find another transfer partner so that Valleroy could be available for a disjuncting channel in his own House, but it would be best to have Auster prepared to serve too.

Auster gave a solemn nod. "I think so. Sala says I have ample capacity and speed; he's already reached need once since he arrived, so she's been able to gauge his draw. But the fact that he – Timno is his name, by the way – was able to travel post-turnover with a newly established Gen speaks well of his resolve, though she is his sister."

True. A junct Sime would kill even the person he loved most, if his need were great enough.

"Both Timno and the other new Sime are still in First Year?" asked Valleroy urgently.

"Yes. They're cousins, both changed over about four months ago apparently."

"That's a relief." Valleroy meant it; he hated having to tell older Simes that it was physically impossible for them to disjunct no matter how great their resolve. Only the newly changed over had the flexibility in their selyn systems to accept permanently channel's transfer over the kill. Another reason to permit direct Gen transfer to RenSimes. If it worked, it might help keep older juncts from killing, maybe not entirely, but less often.

"Yes," Auster agreed. "There's nothing else you urgently need to know, I don't think. Do you want to go over things tomorrow morning?"

"That suits me." They had reached Valleroy's rooms, located in the main building instead of one of the small family cottages, so that he could be easily found at any time he might be needed. "I think I'll go see if the kitchen still has any dinner left and then make it an early night. I'll meet with you in my office about nine."

He hadn't been away so long that he had trouble settling back into Rior's usual routine. The daily activities of farming, schooling, and general maintenance didn't really require a great deal of direct supervision from the Sosectu. Valleroy was able to meet the newly arrived Simes and Gens the next day to help settle them in. He also talked to Javon about training as a Companion.

"You think I could do it?" Javon's eyes glowed with excitement. "Ever since Orain explained it to me, I've hoped I could."

"Both Sala and I think you have the potential," Valleroy said. "You'll work with her, mostly, and she'll be the one to qualify you when she believes you are ready. Eventually you might be Companion to Timno, once he disjuncts."

"Timno?"

"One of our new boys, from Sime Territory; if you haven't met him yet, I'm sure you will soon. He's about a year older than you, and he's a channel, but junct. It's going to be difficult for him, but you – and Orain too – might be able to help him keep the resolve to disjunct, and then you could possibly give him transfer after he has. That's one thing I want to warn you about, if you decide to go for being a Companion. I, and a few others, find that if we _can't_ give transfer to a channel in a given month, we have problems. Our bodies are used to producing selyn at high rates, and if it's not drained off, it can become very uncomfortable."

Javon frowned. "You mean like a Sime's need?"

"Not that bad, fortunately. And by no means every Companion experiences the problem. It seems to only affect those of us who have as our transfer partners those channels with very high capacity. There are distinct differences between channels – and RenSimes for that matter – when it comes to how much selyn they require, and similarly Gens have different production levels. Both consumption and production tend to increase over time, too. In any case, it isn't likely to be something you'll have to worry about, but it _is_ possible, so I wanted to make sure you knew. Still interested?"

"Oh, yes. When can I start training with Sala?"

"Right away. You can go talk to her about it now if you'd like. She should be in the infirmary."

* * *

  
For the next few months, Valleroy kept an eye not only on Javon, but also on Orain and Timno, especially the young channel as he went through the disjuncting process. It was not too difficult for the first few months, but as he drew nearer the crisis, Timno became more and more agitated. His cousin Lorana came through her disjunction with relatively little trouble and encouraged him to persevere. She was RenSime, however, so her experience simply wasn't the same.

"I don't know if I can do it," Valleroy overheard Timno telling Orain one day in the barns where they were mucking out stalls. "I... I _want_ the fear and the pain. You can't believe how good it is, like having total power."

"It can't be better than channel's transfer," said Orain.

"Oh yes, it can. I've experienced both, and believe me, the kill felt better."

At that point Valleroy stepped inside. "Once you've disjuncted, you won't feel that way, Timno. Every Sime I've known who disjuncted has said so."

"And you don't _want_ to kill, do you?" Orain pressed him.

"No... I know Gens are people, and I don't want to kill anyone anymore if I think about it like _that_, but..." Timno swallowed hard. "I can't explain it any better than that I _need_ to kill."

Valleroy focused his attention on the young channel, supporting him nagerically, seeing his tension ease. Timno was still several days from real need and – probably – his disjunction crisis, and he couldn't possibly kill Valleroy whatever he did. "Let's get you to Sala; she can help. Trust me."

One reason disjunction was more difficult for a channel was the physical complication of the second selyn system, the one that stored excess which could be transferred to other Simes; but there was also a strong psychological component. Disjuncting RenSimes only had to make a commitment to accept nothing but channel's transfer in future. Someone who was a channel himself, though, required Gen transfer in order to function as a working channel and keep others from killing, so disjunction meant choosing a Gen, yet not killing. A trained Companion could _keep_ a junct channel from killing, but that would not be a true disjunction, and Timno was running out of time, his First Year almost over. He _might_ have a second chance, but he might not.

Sala was working with Javon when Valleroy arrived at the infirmary with Timno. She had evidently zlinned their approach, for she said without turning around, "Go into insulated room two. I'll be there in couple of minutes."

Timno lay down on the contoured transfer lounge, swinging his legs up. Valleroy sat in the chair beside him and took his hand. "It'll be all right."

"Will it?" Timno's voice quavered

"Yes," said Sala, entering. "I'm going to keep you here in the infirmary for the next several days; no more chores for the time being. I think you're going to go into crisis this cycle, so I want you to rest and read some of the case histories as inspiration, all right? And Lorana and Orain can come sit with you."

"What about Javon?" Timno asked.

"Javon too," Sala answered, although the glance she gave Valleroy suggested that she'd be monitoring carefully when the young Gen was present.

Outside, Valleroy murmured, "You're not planning to have Javon cope with a disjunction crisis, are you? He's only served a channel's need once."

"Of course not. I expect _you_ to find work to do around the infirmary, not today or tomorrow but after that. Auster too, I think. Between the three of us we can make sure Javon is safe and handle Timno." She spoke with absolute confidence.

"All right," Valleroy said.

He was restocking one of the other insulated transfer rooms two days later when he heard a loud thump from Timno's room and hurried out into the hallway to find Timno there, clearly hyperconscious, only aware of the world through the Sime senses. Valleroy yelled for Auster – Sala would hear too, if she hadn't already zlinned the disturbance – and gave a flick of his nager to try to bring Timno to duoconsciousness so that the boy could hear speech.

"Timno?" He walked closer.

"Is he okay?" Javon came pounding down the hall, followed by Orain.

Timno started moving toward the other boys, and Valleroy swore under his breath. He needed Sala and Auster there, _now_.

"He'll be fine, Javon, but you can't help him now. He's going into crisis. I want you to back away slowly until you're out of the infirmary wing. If you see Sala, tell her I need her immediately." Where _was_ the channel?

"She's with Gethrum, out in the orchard. He was pruning off a big broken limb in one of the nut trees and fell, broke both of his arms." Orain spoke breathlessly. "Auster went with her."

_Oh, shen._ There was no time to wait. Somehow he'd have to bring Timno through crisis himself... and he'd have to use Javon as Timno's kill-temptation. There was no other choice. "Right. Javon, you stay. Orain, _you_ edge out and tell Sala and Auster to come here _fast_." Maybe they'd arrive in time.

Valleroy couldn't watch to see if Orain left; he had to make sure that Timno had his chance to disjunct. "Timno," he said persuasively, using his field to capture the boy's attention. "Listen to me. You don't want to kill, do you? Come to me for transfer. You can't hurt me."

Over his shoulder he could sense Javon standing his ground. He had to be nervous, though, because Timno was still fixed on him despite Valleroy's best efforts. Perhaps he was afraid _for_ Timno rather than _of_ him, but it didn't really matter.

"Javon, he won't hurt you either. Relax. Remember what you've practiced with Sala." Valleroy kept focusing on Timno as he spoke. The young channel was swiveling his head indecisively back and forth between the two Gens; Valleroy wasn't sure if he was seeing them or just zlinning, but probably the latter, at this stage of need. _If he were a RenSime and I were a channel, I could offer him fear... but he has to choose a Gen who does_ not _fear for his disjunction to be valid._ Valleroy's heart ached for Timno. He hated witnessing the anguish a junct had to go through to disjunct, although when it was successful, it was one of the most joyous moments imaginable.

"Come on, Timno," he murmured again. "You can do it."

Timno tensed, began to move toward Valleroy, then angled away, toward Javon.

"No!" Orain yelled. He hadn't left the infirmary as Valleroy had ordered, and suddenly was in Timno's path, pushing Javon behind him. He must have augmented to be there so quickly.

"Orain, _leave now_," commanded Valleroy, taking a few steps forward to keep Timno as close to himself as to the other two boys.

"I won't let him kill Javon!" Orain sounded panicked.

"If you don't leave, he might kill _you_." Valleroy kept his eyes and attention on Timno. "You're past turnover, you don't have nearly as much selyn as Javon. Timno could kill you and still go after one of us. So _get out_."

Before Orain could do so, however, Timno leaped – at Valleroy, who met him and let him draw all the selyn he could take, providing just enough resistance to ensure that Timno would find satisfaction. It wasn't anything like as good as a transfer with Klyd was, but Valleroy had never found another channel who could match him. When it was over, Timno wiped his mouth and looked around, wide-eyed.

"Congratulations," Valleroy said. "You're disjunct!" Relief swept through him, weakening his knees, but he managed to stay upright and smile at Timno.

Timno gave a tentative smile in return. "I am?"

"You are indeed. Sosectu's word on that." Valleroy would have Sala give her opinion too, of course, but he was as certain of it as a Gen could be. He turned to Orain and Javon, intending to say something about Orain's failure to obey a direct order, although it had turned out all right, and saw that they were locked in an embrace, kissing. Timno didn't seem perturbed by the sight, however.

_Well, I guess that explains why Orain wouldn't leave when he was told._ Valleroy sighed internally and looked away, embarrassed. _And Javon was right about himself... I'm only surprised that Orain reciprocated._

"Enough, boys," he said, clearing his throat. "You're safe, and Timno's disjunct. Rior will be celebrating tonight!"

The door from outside opened at last, and Sala and Auster came in with Gethrum, walking unsteadily with his splinted arms in front of him. Sala paled when she saw the tableau.

"Sosectu?"

"Everything's all right," he assured her. "Timno made it through disjunction, and no one was hurt."

"And..." Sala's eyes flickered towards Javon and Orain.

Valleroy shrugged. "It's not Rior's concern."

"You're the Sosectu," Sala said. "It's your decision. I just hope it's the right one."

That night, at Timno's disjunction party, all three boys plus Lorana pledged to Rior; so did Marnot, Timno and Lorana's cousin.

* * *

  
A few months later, on the shortest day of the year, Orain didn't appear for his transfer appointment. By the time Sala and Valleroy found him – Sala could zlin, but Valleroy had a hunch that he'd be in one of the more distant barns – Javon had given him transfer, and both boys had the typical post-transfer glow.

_Post-coital, too._ Valleroy was almost sure of that, given the state of their clothing; but that was none of his business.

"I know it was a risk," said Javon, his voice a mixture of defiance and pleading. "But Sosectu, it _hurt_ to see Orain's need – I had to do whatever I could to ease it."

"It wasn't all his fault." Orain had his arm around Javon. "I... I asked him. Begged him."

"Sala, check them both over." Valleroy waited while she did so.

"They're fine," she said when she had finished. "Not the slightest hint of transfer burn on Javon, and Orain is stable too."

Valleroy felt a rush of vindication. "All right. We have enough Companions for our channels right now that I think we can spare Javon for Orain."

"Really?" "Thank you, Sosectu." The boys both spoke at once.

"Yes, really." Valleroy smiled at them. "Rior's guiding purpose is to point to new ways of living, after all. If this works for you two, I won't tell you no."

And he would write to Klyd that night, to tell him about this success. Maybe next month Sala could observe them, and they could try to discover what made it work, so that others would have the option too. Valleroy faced the future with hope.


End file.
